Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-13
THE ENGLISH PARLIAMENT.
Mccarthy Gives q Brief
Accouas Of II.

DWueam Mccarthy Gives q Bf1e1
Accouas Of IL.
Justin Mccarthy was the principal
nuuaksr last night 1t the Nineteenth
( oaafury Clubs discussion of "The
TnrIish Parliament" The American
Al Galleries were more crowded than
ever. and many men bers an | their
lriands were forced to stand in the hall
Unys Of the lecture room upstairs
1hFough the whole evening. Mr..
Mccarthy was introduced by Daniel
q. Thompson, vice-president of the
11ub, and spoke in all about seventy
uinutes. The member from London.
derry i . large, full-bodied man with a
1hin iron-gray beard and ruddy face.
Wo wore y dress-coat, of course, and q
b1aek wAistcoat, across which hung q
G1put gold chain with heavy dangling
noa1s. His manner was quiet, his tones
Ring just above the conversational,
I'D his graceful phrases carried the
aadiencs along delighted and all atten-
tion.
Nj. Mccarthy began by contrasting
1Ao two Houses Of Parliament, one
elective. the other hereditary, one rep
xoDdntAtive, the other whimsical. The
House Of Lords was o clog on reform
legislation, merely negative, vetoing
DoWer. How, then, was inaction avoid
obls in such government! Like the
/. Rold coins which the Vicar of Wakefield
6sve his children, to be neither changed
nor spent, SO the power of the Lords
Wns given them on the condition that
z1hey would never be guilty Of the alb.
surdity OF nsing it. This power, in fact,
had not been used since the passage OF
~ Paper Tax bill under Lord Palmer.
o1on. The Commons took away the
z1nx and the Lords restored it. 1t was
1iS2d ;;oke, for once, Palmerston told
p ean then. bat 1T must never be re.
S9atsd. And since that time the Upper
4 feuse has never been q real factor in
'In1itlM. No real statesman nowadays
: al consent to bury himself in its langor
s0nd dullness. Az Charles James Fox
oid during his last illness. when he was
~ that the King contemplated raising
\ In to the peerage, "Good Heavens!
Doos be think it has come to this with
~ intellect already"
The House of Lords is q withering
nFm. 1t has been shunted on a side.
11opk, Is John Bright said expressively,
I'D Il it stays there and does nothing it
4 gunay last for many years to come. Eng.
3 load is 90 far behind with the most
(, ,1uussing legislation that it cannot bother
sIpw wish abolishing the Upper House.
4 henry Labouchsre stirs up the peers
ooah session with witty TRADE against
1kom in The H0nse of Commons, but the
( Gonmons. though amused, never take
I. - speech seriously and will not be
Z <Dvailed upon to do so while Tar more
1Tsnt things are in hand.
The House of Commons, continued
- speaker, lis contrast completely.
& ~ one more change in the suffrage will
.]nnko it popular body. We still need
- I'M in Great Britain that man may
6ge one vote and only one. Now it is
pesible for majority of votes to be
= 1ovor Of Ministry or measure and .
1Ioijty Of voters against it. know of
n u wealth and landed estates in
Hod who, under the present quail.
1fon laws, have five, ten and even
~ votes. Take Mr.. Gladstope's
6ll1, for instance. Ireland, Scot
1nd Wales were practically solid
|II@41 ~ A tno coundy -
r ~ Grnas majority of voters were
r but Il failed through the plural
- u tbe exissocsgts and landowners
xnfland."
=. Mccarthy then ran over the
1Ifar customs of ths House Of Com
~ the complicated method Of Ad-
n51ae members, the divisions by going
~ ~ lobb1oe, the "oounting outn
rr116ont - lsck q : qssrsn, ~